NGO Jobs in Nairobi Kenya - Farm Africa

Farm Africa is an international non-governmental organization working to increase the incomes and improve food security of  smallholder farmers, pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, and forest dwellers in East Africa.

The Kenya country office  is currently recruiting highly qualified persons to fill the following position:

Job Title: Agribusiness Manager, MAEF
 
Reports To: Head of Market Engagement
 
Staff Reporting to Post Holder: Portfolio Officers, Grants Specialist
 
Location: Nairobi with regular travel locally and within East Africa
 
Duration & Hours: One year, renewable
 
Purpose of the Role: To provide leadership and oversight of all enterprise development and capacity building activities of Farm Africa’s Maendeleo Agricultural Enterprise Fund (MAEF).
Key Tasks and Responsibilities
 
1. Define and implement an investment strategy based on market research, and ensure that work is consistent with Farm Africa’s strategies and business plans
  • Identify priority areas for investment and plan market interventions where MAEF can have highest impact
  • Set and take full responsibility for achieving overall and individual grantee targets related to sales, income and company profitability
2. Identify and select MAEF investments (grants)
  • Source for business opportunities through various methods, including networking, advertising and other solicitation means
  • Working with the Advisory Committee, review and shortlist concept notes and business cases
  • Work with potential grantees to develop business plans
  • Lead the final selection process including subsequent budget and contract negotiations with selected grantees
3. Oversee grantees in project implementation, providing business capacity building and other support, as needed
  • Monitor grantees’ progress against targets through regular report reviews, site visits and third-party verification
  • Assess capacity building needs of grantees and ensure proper support is provided, either internally or through external consultants/specialist firms
  • Liaise with and create partnerships with relevant companies, organizations, financial institutions and government agencies, to ensure success of project outcomes
  • Document and disseminate lessons learned
4. Provide leadership in overall management of the MAEF programme in accordance with project documents, work plans and budgets
  • Responsible for the preparation and implementation of budgets and work plans
  • Write or review and approve narrative and financial reports to MAEF donors
  • Comply with Farm Africa internal processes and procedures
5. Supervise MAEF staff members and collaborate with Farm Africa’s other projects and senior managers in East Africa and London
  • Provide guidance and mentoring to MAEF programme and support staff
  • Conduct regular appraisals, set and monitor objectives, assist with work planning
  • Liaise and collaborate with other Farm Africa country offices involved with the MAEF project, including CDs, Communications, M&E and any other relevant staff
6. Increase visibility through promotion and marketing of the MAEF programme and grantees’ commercial activities
  • Assist the Country Director and London-based fundraising staff to actively seek new funding opportunities for MAEF
  • Contribute to writing funding proposals and preparing budgets
  • As directed by the Country Director, liaise with current and potential donors
7. Any other duties as directed by the Head of Market Engagement or the Country Director

Education, qualifications & other knowledge
 
Essential
  • A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject
  • Demonstrated knowledge of rural enterprise development and/or small business management
  • Minimum 5 years’ professional experience in agriculture, agribusiness or related sector
  • Fluency in written and spoken English
Desirable
  • MBA or equivalent
  • Private sector experience
  • Experience in banking, finance, investment or related field
  • Fluency in Swahili or other East African language
Experience
 
Essential
  • Capacity building of organisations and companies
  • Financial management and budgeting
Desirable
  • Business planning and company growth strategies
Skills & abilities
 
Essential
  • Networking, collaboration and convening capacity
  • Communication (both verbal & written)
  • Report writing
Desirable
  • Negotiating and managing partner relationships
  • Fundraising and policy influencing
Values
 
Farm Africa seeks to employ those who believe, as we do, that farmers can and will play a key role in achieving long-term rural prosperity in Africa and who seek to deliver on those beliefs by:
  • being experts in our field, delivering insightful/impactful evidence-based solutions
  • pushing boundaries, being creative with new and old solutions
  • acting for the long-term, building relationships and delivering long-lasting change for farmers
  • working flexibly, taking advantage of the most effective solutions, whether from the communities, private sector or government
  • sharing knowledge with others, reaching more farmers than we do alone, ensuring effective technologies are widely accessed.
Job Title: Project Coordinator (PC)
 
Reports To: Programmes Manager (PM)
 
Staff Reporting to the Post Holder: Project Officer,
 
Location: Kitale, with regular field travel
 
Duration: One year fixed term, renewable
 
Purpose of the Role: To manage the implementation, monitoring and reporting of the Youth Empowerment in Sustainable Agriculture (YESA) project. 

This position requires an experienced manager with strong technical skills in implementing agriculture projects specifically with youth and with a track record of production, marketing, product logistics, post-harvest handling, seed systems or similar.


Key Tasks and Responsibilities
  • To provide overall technical and operations leadership in implementation of the YESA project
  • To manage the project in accordance with project documents, work plans and budgets and ensure that work is consistent with Farm Africa’s strategies and the conditions of donor contracts
  • To line manage the project staff and provide technical and operational backstopping while, on day to day basis, be directly engaged in practical elements of project implementation
  • To manage and nurture mutually beneficial partnerships with other stakeholders, including other NGOs, County government, private sector companies, etc
  • To keep abreast of relevant changes in government policy that could affect the project and advise senior management accordingly
  • To play an active role as a member of the Farm Africa Kenya team.
  • To prepare the project budget and work plan in line with Farm Africa’s planning process and schedules on timely basis
  • To prepare and submit quarterly narrative and financial reports in the standard format to the line manager with both internal and donor requirements
  • To ensure that financial management in the field office is in compliance with the basic standards contained in the Farm Africa finance procedures manual and donor requirements
  • To work with senior management and the UK-based teams in identifying new business opportunities, new project design, contributing to funding proposal preparation, and interacting with donors, as needed
  • In collaboration with the M&E manager, to develop and implement a project monitoring and evaluation process, capturing project outcomes/impact and lessons learned.
  • In liaison with the PM, to lead on the recruitment of new staff to the project team, including proper induction processes
  • To provide leadership to all project staff and develop effective team work and individual staff skills relevant to the project and the Farm Africa business plan.
  • To carry out quarterly and annual appraisals with all line-managed staff in line with Farm Africa staff appraisal system.
  • In consultation with the PM, to act as an ambassador, promoting the project and the work of Farm Africa, including hosting visitors, speaking at workshops, conferences and meeting donors and other officials as and when required
  • To ensure that the project contributes to, responds to and complies with all relevant agriculture sector policy developments.
  • To identify and lobby for policy support to smallholder producer and marketing groups at county and higher levels of governance.
  • To contribute to the development of Farm Africa policies and strategies related to smallholder climate smart agriculture.
  • To participate in regional programme meetings with other project coordinators, as requested by senior management
  • To undertake any other duty as may be directed by the line manager or CD from time to time
Education, qualifications & other knowledge
 
Essential
  • Bachelor degree in relevant agriculture/natural resource/ agri economics / marketing or related field
  • Knowledge of the development and policy environment in Kenya
  • Good understanding of youth-friendly value chains and business development / marketing
Desirable
  • Masters degree in relevant subject
  • Knowledge & practical experience of farmer participatory approaches
  • Previous private sector agriculture value chains and rural development experience
Experience

Essential
  • At least 2 years field based experience implementing agricultural projects and with youth
Desirable
  • Experience with a private sector agricultural actor
Skills & Abilities
 
Essential
  • Project management
  • Team building
  • Financial management
  • Agricultural value chains development
  • Participatory planning, monitoring & evaluation
  • Communication (both verbal & written)
  • Proposal & report writing
Desirable
  • Negotiating & managing partner relationships
  • Field level training
  • Policy influencing
  • Fundraising
  • Capacity building of organisations & individuals
Values: Farm Africa seeks to employ those who believe, as we do, that farmers can and will play a key role in achieving long-term rural prosperity in Africa and who seek to deliver on those beliefs by:
  • being experts in our field, delivering insightful/impactful evidence-based solutions
  • pushing boundaries, being creative with new and old solutions
  • acting for the long-term, building relationships and delivering long-lasting change for farmers
  • working flexibly, taking advantage of the most effective solutions, whether from the communities, private sector or government
  • sharing knowledge with others, reaching more farmers than we do alone, ensuring effective technologies are widely accessed.
Country Director, Tanzania

Location: 
Dar es Salaam with significant national travel and some international travel

Duration: Fixed term, 3 year contract

Salary: Highly competitive 

Farm Africa is a different kind of charity, working to end hunger and bring prosperity to rural Africa. 

The impact that we are making with our long-term sustainable, community-led projects in sub-Saharan Africa is enabling communities to significantly improve their livelihoods and manage their natural resources sustainably.

Tanzania is one of our growing programmes, and we need someone who can help us bring our pipeline of projects into fruition. 

Responsible for the delivery of the country strategy, managing all operational aspects of the Tanzania country programme, including relationships with multiple partners and an income target of around £2m per year.  

We are looking for skilled senior manager who has the ability to build the capacity of staff to achieve Farm Africa’s strategic objectives; whilst proactively managing relationships with external stakeholders, including institutional donors, civil society partners and the private sector. 

Of particular importance in the Ethiopia context is someone who can maintain and further develop a constructive relationship with our most important partner- the Government of Ethiopia. 

We are looking for someone with the ability to drive and prioritise innovative engagement with the multiple partners including rural communities, the private sector and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector along with a proven track record of providing broader input into leadership, contributing to the overall strategy and Farm Africa’s future growth.

You will have a successful track record of working in long-term development and a strong understanding of donor environments, working closely with communities, government and the private sector. 

You will have lived and worked in sub-Saharan Africa, have excellent hands-on programme, financial, strategic and human resource management experience. 

Exceptional multi-tasking, networking, relationship-building and financial management skills are pre-requisites.

If you are interested in these roles, more information can be found in the appointment details. 


If would like to apply, please send a CV and one page covering letter detailing how you meet the person specification to recruitment@farmafrica.org by 5pm on Monday 18 August 2014.

If you have any questions regarding this role, please submit them in writing to recruitment@farmafrica.org.